


Book 7 - Ultra Encounters

by SureenInk



Series: Poke Saga [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: F/F, Nudity, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 02:30:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19122763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SureenInk/pseuds/SureenInk
Summary: Mizuki moves from the Kanto region to the Alola region. Can a young girl with asthma and poor eyesight become strong enough to be a Pokemon trainer and take on the League? What happens when she comes face-to-face with the evil organization Team Skull? And what will she do when wormholes open up all around Alola, threatening to consume the very light of the world? (Novelization of SM/USUM)





	1. Chapter 1

Have you ever heard of Paradise? I'm sure you have. We've probably all dreamed of Paradise, a perfect place of beauty, peace, a place where we can relax and simply enjoy life. Well, they say that the Alola Islands are the typical definition of Paradise.

Four beautiful island - Melemele, Akala, Ula'ula, and Poni - along with a fifth, man-made island that specializes in the use of clean energy and is built as a Pokemon reserve where they take in sick or injured Pokemon and nurse them back to health were what made up the region. It's said that the islands were formed over thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of years of volcanic activity. The islands are said to be green, lush lands surrounded by beach on all sides and full of interesting new Pokemon I had never seen before.

Kukui, the local Pokemon Professor, had sent me and my mother a booklet featuring all sorts of information on the region. I had spent the last couple days looking through it, examining the different kinds of Pokemon, the varying places of the region, and more. It looked absolutely spectacular, and I couldn't wait to go. Still, I couldn't help but feel like I would miss my home here in Kanto.

I had gotten so used to the people here. I had made close friends, had a girlfriend for a short period of time, had my first break-up with said girlfriend when her parents disapproved of her dating another girl, dealt with my parents' divorce, lost the friends I had when they learned I liked girls... I rolled onto my side. Maybe I wouldn't miss this place so much after all.

My mother had taken both me and her out the other day to buy new clothes. Alola was a tropical region, after all. We were going to need clothes for a much warmer climate. Sure, I owned a number of skirts and tank tops, but I also owned a lot of long-sleeve shirts and pants and dresses, all clothes that would likely never need to be worn there. Besides, this gave me a chance to update my wardrobe a bit with a couple of cute halter tops and skirts and even a couple pairs of sandals.

Only one thing remained now, getting passports. Alola was on the complete opposite side of the world. Well, maybe not that far away, but it felt like it. We'd have to cross the date line to get to Alola, so while it was only a five hour time difference, it was simultaneously a nineteen hour time difference. Luckily, getting our passports wasn't a difficult task, and we were soon able to move.

The day of the move, I dressed in a white halter top that ended just above my stomach and a blue mini-skirt that wasn't quite knee-length. I tied a cute pink ribbon in my hair and donned my glasses, which had a rim around the lower half but not the upper half. I had brown hair that was shoulder-length and wavy. My eyes were heterochromatic, meaning my right eye was blue and my left eye was green.

We had several boxes we had packed up and had shipped off to our new house in Alola, so all we carried to the plane were a pair of suitcases. We sat down in our seats and I pulled out the booklet about Alola again. I was going over everything one last time.

Apparently, on the Alola Islands, there was this thing called an "Island Challenge". It was strange, because Alola didn't have a Pokemon League, which I found even stranger. Because of this, there weren't any gyms, there were "Trials" that involved fighting things called "Totem Pokemon". Defeating these trials earned you the ability to take on a "Grand Trial" against something called the "Island Kahuna". Apparently, it was the person in charge of of the island.

I was so excited for my arrival in Alola, so much so that it had made it hard to sleep the night before. Now on the plane, I could feel myself drift off into sleep.

\-----

"We're here, honey," my mom spoke with her sweet voice. I startled awake, realizing I had slept the whole trip there. "You must have been really tired."

I yawned rather loudly, much to my surprise. "I guess I was." I stood up from my seat and looked out of the plane window. My first glimpse of Alola, and already it was spectacular.

Alola didn't have it's own airport on any of the islands, so we had landed on the Aether Foundation Island, the man-made island I had told you about before. We would then be taking a ride by boat to Melemele Island where our new house was. Our first stop would be in Hau'oli City, as that's where the boat would drop us off at.

Seeing the crystal clear ocean around us made me grin something fiercely, and being able to see this sight every day was definitely going to be worth moving here. I sometimes wondered if the people who were born and raised here realized how lucky they were to live in such a gorgeous place.

As Melemele Island came into view, I could see the dormant volcano that was believed to be the cause of the island's creation. Settled next to it, I could see Hau'oli City, a small city if we're comparing it to Kanto's Saffron City, but then, you could fit the whole of Melemele Island inside of Saffron City and then some.

Hau'oli City stretched out across the entire length of the coast of the side of Melemele that we were on. The buildings weren't too tall, but the beach front was absolutely gorgeous. I could see a forest in the distance behind the city.

The smell of the clean ocean was spectacular, and I could feel the cool wind blowing against my body. It didn't take long before temptation overtook me and I slipped off my shirt. I didn't ever wear a bra and me wearing panties was questionable. I just didn't like clothes, they bothered my senses, so I wore as little of them as possible. Standing on the boat, my arms stretched out wide, wearing nothing but a skirt and sandals was a great feeling.

\-----

The boat soon arrived at Melemele Island, docking at the port of Hau'oli City. I had, of course, put my shirt back on when we arrived. We stepped off the boat with our luggage and my mom stretched. "That Alolan sun feels so good."

I giggled. "It does." I stretched as well.

"Well, honey, let's head to our new house."

"Ah!" a deep stern voice suddenly shouted. "Alola!"

Mom and I turned and my face turned deep red. There was a hot guy standing next to us. He couldn't have been much older than my mom, who was in her thirties. The man was buff, and I mean, he was really buff. He had tanned skin, which I assumed was his skin's natural color as I didn't see any tan lines. He wore a white labcoat with no shirt at all under her it along with a pair of stretch pants that ended at his knees. He had a pair of simple shoes on along with a hat with a visor. Lastly, a pair of sunglasses that looked much like a pair of tinted safety glasses sat on his face.

"Ah, Alola, Kukui." My mom gave a bow as she spoke those words.

"Now, now, you're in Alola now." Kukui smirked and put his hands out. He then pulled his hands apart in a sort of wave. "Alola!"

My mom smiled and repeated the gesture. "Alola!"

Kukui turned to me now. "Ah, this must be Mizuki." I quickly lifted my bag up and covered my face with it. I may have been open with my body, but I was also extremely shy. "Ah, the shy type, I see."

"This is Professor Kukui," Mom said to me. "Professor Kukui, this is my daughter, Mizuki. She's just turned sixteen yesterday. Well... today?"

Kukui chuckled. "Time zones are certainly a thing, aren't they? It's definitely past midnight back in Nihon at this point."

"Say hello to the Professor, dear," Mom spoke to me.

"H-hello," I spoke, only pulling my bag down a little. I think I'd have been less embarrassed if he had actually been wearing a shirt, but his hot body was out on display!

Kukui smiled at me. "Now, now, that's not how you greet someone in Alola. You have to do it right." Kukui did the hand motion again. "Alola!" I looked away without responding. "Come on, give it a try."

I sighed. I sat the bag down and made the hand gesture. "A-alola," I spoke quietly.

"Speak up a bit more, put all of your confidence into it." Kukui did the gesture again as he practically bellowed out, "Alola!"

I squeaked in response.

Kukui rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, I'm sure you'll get it eventually." He turned back to my mother. "So, shall we head to your new house?"

"Certainly, though I must admit, I didn't expect to meet you here."

"Well, I wanted to be here when you arrived so that I could help you get around and even give you a tour if you needed."

"We appreciate it, actually." Mom smiled. "Come on, Mizuki."

"Lillie, we're going!" Kukui called out.

"Be right there!" a voice called out. Only a moment later, a girl came around the corner. She was absolutely stunning. She had long blonde hair that flowed down to her waist and was dressed in a pure white dress that was sleeveless and knee-length. She had a white hat with a large brim around it on her head and a pair of white sandals. A cylindrical bag sat at her side, held there by a strap that went around her chest and shoulder.

"This is my assistant, Lillie," Kukui spoke up. "Lillie, meet Mizuki and her mother, Anju."

"Alola," Lillie spoke and did the hand gesture. "Nice to meet you both."

"Nice to meet you as well, Lillie."

I didn't respond. I was too busy burying my face behind my bag again. I could feel my face was burning hot, so I could only assume I was blushing.

Mother giggled. I think she understood how I was feeling. "Well, then, let's get home."

\-----

Our new home was a simple building. It had a single room that served as both the living room and kitchen, then had two doors that lead to individual bedrooms and bathrooms. On the side, we also had a small patio that could be reached by opening some sliding glass doors. "This is a cute home," Lillie responded.

"Come on in," Mom spoke as she and I walked in. Kukui and Lillie followed shortly after. "What do you think, Mizuki?"

"It's nice," I responded quietly with a smile.

"Your room is on the right if you want to put your things down."

I nodded and walked into my new bedroom. The moment I was inside, I closed the door and let out a relaxed sigh. In my room, I was alone. In my room, I had privacy. "She's so pretty..." I sighed as I thought about Lillie. "What kind of chance do I think someone like me has with someone like her? I bet she's straight anyway..." I took off my watermelon shaped bag and the little hat I had worn and put them on the coat-rack in my room.

My room was a quaint place. My computer and bed were here, along with an assortment of my other items. I stepped over to the desk and examined the trophy that was sitting on it. It was from when I had been just ten years old and had won a Pokemon competition. Life was so simple back then. I didn't have to worry about things like romance. I sighed. What even was "romance"?

I thought back on the girl I had dated before. We had been friends for a good year or two before we started dating, but even back then, we hugged and cuddled. She wasn't the only person I did that with, though. I hugged and cuddled with all of my friends. When I started dating, I tried kissing for the first time. I enjoyed it, but soon I realized I wanted to do it with my other friends as well. I just... didn't feel any different about the girl I was dating than I felt about my other friends.

"It doesn't matter. Alola is a new place, and I'm a new me," I told myself. I grabbed my shirt and threw it off. I got into my bag and pulled out the bikini I had packed and slipped the top of it on. I wanted to be myself, to let my body be free, but I knew Kukui and Lillie likely wouldn't want to see me naked. Still... if Kukui could walk around without a shirt on...

No! I shook my head to try and shake the thought out of my mind. Guys walking around without a shirt on was usually okay in a lot of cultures. Girls walking around topless, though, was usually frowned upon. I'd just have to deal with wearing clothes until they left. After all, Mom had no issue with me taking off my clothes.

I opened the door to my room and quietly stepped out. Kukui, Lillie, and my mom were all sitting at the table conversing. I heard Kukui say something and my mom began to laugh. I quietly walked over to the table to see what was going on.

"Ah, come to join us, Mizuki?" Kukui asked.

I nodded then sat down. I looked towards Lillie and noticed her face was beat red.

My mom turned to me. I think she realized why I had changed. "You're home now, hun. You don't have to stay dressed if you don't want to."

"B-but, I don't want to make Kukui and Lillie uncomfortable."

Kukui chuckled. "Nonsense! I walk around the house in my underwear half the time! Please, get comfortable, it's your house."

Lillie cleared her throat. "That's also because every time you put clothes on, you start fighting one of your Pokemon for research and your clothes end up all torn up."

Kukui rubbed the back of his neck. "W-well, yeah... I suppose that's true..."

"Not to mention the hole you put in the roof yesterday because you had Raichu use Hyper Beam inside the house."

Kukui chuckled nervously. He rubbed his neck quicker. I could see he was visibly sweating. "W-well... sometimes I get caught up in the moment, yeah?"

Lillie looked away. "A-anyway... the Professor is right. It's your house. You should be in whatever state is the most relaxing for you."

Well, I did want to take off my top, but I could see Lillie wasn't going to be comfortable with that. "U-umm... you can, too... i-if you want..."

Lillie turned beat red. "Wh-what are you talking about? I-I can't just take my clothes off like that!" She looked away. "I... I'm not... pretty enough..." She said that very quietly, but I just barely heard it.

"You're plenty pretty!" I shouted out. "You're the most beautiful girl I've met!"

There was heavy silence between all of us as both Lillie and I became deep crimson.

I quickly turned away and buried my face in my hands. "F-forget I said that."

After a moment, I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see Lillie smiling, her face still red. "Thank you."

"Oh, Kukui, when did you get Lillie as your assistant?" Mom asked. "I don't remember you ever mentioning her before."

"Ah, it was about a month ago," Kukui responded. "My wife found Lillie lying on the beach one morning. We don't know where she came from or anything. All she had with her was that bag she carries."

Lillie turned red again. "Y-you don't need to tell them that part!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"Wait... when you say that was all she had... you mean..." Mom paused and I saw Kukui nod which only made Lillie turn as red as she had been a moment ago. "Good heavens, I'm sorry to hear that, Lillie. At least the Professor was kind enough to buy you some clothes."

"Lillie refused, actually. Those are the clothes she had in her bag. She won't let either me or my wife buy her any other outfits."

"Why not dear?" Mom asked.

"I-I just..." Lillie looked away. "I don't... look good in anything..."

"You were plenty cute in many of those outfits Burnett wanted to buy you, though," Kukui responded.

"Thank you, Professor, but... I don't really think so..." Lillie rubbed the back of her neck.

"Well, surely you have more than just that one outfit, right?" Mom questioned.

Lillie shook her head. "I hide in the lounge whenever Burnett does laundry. Otherwise, this is all I have to wear."

"She's a stubborn one," Kukui folded his arms. "But, ah well. She's sixteen and I'm not her parent or even legal guardian. There's nothing I can do."

"Where are your parents?" Mom questioned. Lillie looked away with a saddened expression. "Oh... I'm sorry..."

"I-it's not what you think," Lillie suddenly spoke up as she waved her arms. "We're just... separate... so I doubt they've even realized I've gone missing."

"That's why Burnett offered to let her stay with us," Kukui spoke up. "No one's coming looking for her, there's no missing persons reports on her, nothing. So, until she wants to go back, she's free to stay."

"You can stay with us if you want!" I suddenly spoke up. Even I was surprised by that.

"Ah, thanks, but... I don't want to be a burden to anyone else," Lillie smiled, but I could tell it was a fake one. "I'd rather just live out on my own than be a burden."

"Which is exactly what Burnett refuses to let you do," Kukui spoke with a nod. Suddenly, I heard something begin to beep. Kukui looked down at his watch and pressed on it. "Ah, sorry to cut this short, but a package I've been waiting on is arriving at the lab in a few minutes. I have to go get it." Kukui stood to his feet. "Lillie, you can stay here as long as you want."

"Ah! I'm going to go back with you," Lillie responded. "You might need my help since Professor Burnett is out of town."

Kukui sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, if you're sure. I just thought you might enjoy spending more time with your new friend."

"W-well, I'm sure Mizuki would like to get out of her clothes, so if I come with you, she doesn't have to worry about me being uncomfortable."

"I suppose." Kukui turned back to my mom. "Well, Anju, I'll see you around, yeah?"

"Of course. You're free to stop by any time, Kukui," Mother responded with a smile.

"Alola, Anju. Alola, Mizuki." Kukui did the gesture again before he and Lillie walked out of the house.

Mom smiled at me. "So, you seemed to like her."

I turned red and looked down. "She was beautiful."

Mom chuckled as stepped over to me and out her hand on my shoulder. "I think she liked you, too. Now come on, I'm sure you want to get out of your clothes, right?" I didn't protest that at all. My clothes were tossed off in an instant. "Hungry? I'll make us some dinner." She put her hand to her chin. "Or... lunch? Time zones make things so complicated."

I chuckled. Alola was definitely going to be a different experience, and I couldn't wait to see how things changed from here.

"Oh bother... I'm going to have to unpack these boxes..." Mom sighed. "I'll do that later. Time to make some food!"


	2. Chapter 2

I yawned as I stretched, the sun was rising the next morning. As I sat up from my bed, the blanket that covered me slipped down, revealing my bare body. I shifted and turned my legs to the side of my bed, then grabbed my glasses off the dresser next to my bed. I was blind as a zubat without my glasses.

I stretched again, then stood to my feet. I was used to touching the cold hardwood floor when I awoke back in Kanto and was practically startled by the fact that the floor was warm. I remembered everything that had happened the day before with meeting the Professor and Lillie and moving to Alola. So, it hadn't been a dream, that was good.

Before leaving my bedroom, I reached over and grabbed my inhaler from on top of the dresser. It was one of those sorts that you take a certain amount of times a day as opposed to an emergency inhaler. I took a puff from it, then set it back down on my dresser. The Alolan air was quite a bit cleaner than the air was in Kanto, making me hope I would need my emergency inhaler less.

I stepped out of my bedroom and my mom greeted me, "Good morning, Mizuki.'

"Good morning, Mom," I responded with a smile.

"I was just about to go out the the patio and enjoy the morning sun. Do you want to come?"

"Ah... I should probably get dressed first..."

My mom smiled and pat me on the head. "You don't have to. I doubt there's anyone around outside. I picked this house for us so that you had a place to wander outside in whatever state you wanted." Mom stepped over to the sliding door and opened it.

"Thanks, Mom." I followed her out to the patio and leaned against the wooden fence. The Alolan sun felt amazing on my bare body, and I closed my eyes and allowed myself to soak it in.

"I almost feel like taking off my own clothes," Mom spoke, then giggled. "There's no way, right?"

"You could," I responded as I looked up at her.

"Thanks dear, but I'm old. No one wants to see my body." Mom sat down on a chair. "Still, I could relax in a bathing suit or something, I suppose."

There was a loud knock at the front door followed by a loud "Alola!" It was Professor Kukui's voice.

"Ah, I'll go get it." Mom stood to her feet and had only had enough time to walk to the sliding door before I heard the front door open.

"Ah, sorry, I'm used to just walking in," Kukui responded.

"Ah, no worries, come on in," Mom responded with a smile. "We're just out at the patio."

"Mom, I'm still naked!" I whispered.

"It's fine, hun. Honest, Kukui doesn't mind at all."

That was when Kukui came around to the sliding door and looked out to the patio. "Alola, Anju. Alola, Mizuki."

Embarrassed by the fact that Kukui could see me, I turned around and covered my body with my arms. "A-alola, Professor."

"Maybe we should let Mizuki get dressed," Kukui responded. "She seems a little embarrassed."

I turned around after a moment of silence to notice both Mom and Kukui had walked off. As I peered back into the house, I noticed them both sitting down at the table. Kukui was making sure to sit with his back towards the patio. I made my way back to my bedroom, then began to dig through my clothes. I dressed in a cute blue mini-skirt that was probably too short, then slipped on a simple blue halter top. As I was already dressing up, I went ahead and brushed my hair then tied a little blue bow in my hair.

Satisfied with how I looked, I stepped out of the bedroom. Now not only Kukui was there, but Lillie and another girl as well. The girl was dressed in what I could only guess was some sort of wetsuit, but it only came up to her waist. The rest of it was bunched up and tied around her waist. From the waist up, she was dressed in a gray tank top. Her hair was white and tied into a ponytail, but she didn't seem old, nor was her skin light or pale in color. In fact, her skin tone was much the same as Kukui's.

"Ah, here she is," Kukui spoke up. "Mizuki, I'd like you to meet my wife, Burnet. Burnet, this is Mizuki, Anju's daughter."

"Alola," Burnet spoke with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

I squeaked before hiding behind my mom's chair.

"You'll have to excuse her, she's very shy," Mom spoke then turned to me. "It's okay, dear. She's nice just like Kukui."

Kukui may have been almost too nice, in my opinion. I had never met a guy before that was so outspoken and hardy, yet he seemed so kind and considerate. He also really didn't have any care about me being naked. Maybe I was just too young for him, or maybe he really just was that nice. But what reason was there for Mr. Muscle to be so kind? I peeked out and gave a soft "A-alola."

Burnet smiled and leaned forward a bit. "You remind me of Lillie when I first met her. She was so shy and quiet. It took me three days just to get her to talk, and even then, all she would say was 'Yes, ma'am' or 'No, ma'am'."

"You wouldn't guess it by how she is now, huh?" Kukui chuckled and Lillie turned red.

"W-well, I've gotten to know you two better," Lillie responded. She tried to put on a fake face as if she was annoyed.

"By the way, Mizuki," Kukui suddenly spoke up, "your mother tells me you always wanted to go on a Pokemon journey and face against the League back in Kanto."

I nodded silently.

Kukui grinned. "Well, Alola doesn't currently have a League, but starting today, construction of the Alola Pokemon League has begun. It should be finished in a few months. I'd be honored if you were one of the first to compete in it."

"I-I don't have a Pokemon, though."

"Not to worry. Kahuna Hala is in Iki Town today preparing for tomorrow's festival. I bet that if I take you to him and you ask him, he'd be more than willing to give you a Pokemon."

"Th-the Kahuna? Y-you mean... the head of the island?" I shrank back behind the chair more.

"Hala's a great guy, honestly," Kukui spoke with a big grin. "He's a huge softy! You'd love meeting him, I promise."

"I-I think I'll just stay here..." I practically whispered those words.

"You know... there is a legendary Pokemon that lives right there next to Iki Town," Burnet spoke up. "His name's Tapu Koko. I'd bet he'd be thrilled to see someone new."

"A l-legendary?!" I nearly shouted as I jumped to my feet.

"Oh yeah, Tapu Koko's our island diety," Kukui spoke with a nod. "He's a really strong Pokemon, but he loves humans. I could definitely take you to meet him."

"I... could meet a legendary Pokemon?" My eyes were probably sparkling with excitement. "I want to go!"

Kukui smiled again. "Alright, let's go visit Kahuna Hala, then. I'm sure he'll let us head to the Ruins of Conflict to meet him." Kukui stood to his feet.

"Go ahead, hun. I want to stay and talk to Anju some more," Burnet spoke with a smile.

"Alright, how about you, Lillie?"

Lillie nodded. "Someone's got to keep you out of trouble." She stood to her feet and grabbed her bag. Did the bag just shift around on its own? No, that couldn't be...

With that, the three of us left the house and headed onwards to Iki Town.

\-----

The warm Alolan sun felt so good as it cast its rays down upon me. The path between our house and Iki Town was a pretty scenic one with tall grass, palm trees, and even a beach not too far off. "That's where my lab is," Kukui told me. It must have been nice to have a beach-front laboratory.

Iki Town itself was a rather small place, which surprised me. According to the Professor, Iki Town was one of the first towns founded on Melemele Island, so I figured it would be bigger. "The people here live more natural lives. Because of that, they're relationship with Tapu Koko is a very close one." That's what Lillie told me. She quickly grabbed her bag. I swear I saw it shift again. Was I losing my mind, or was there something odd about that bag? I decided to ignore it for the time. I'm sure that, if it was important, the Professor or Lillie would tell me.

"This is where we'll be having the festival tomorrow," Kukui spoke as we arrived at a small stage-like platform. It was just big enough for two people to have a Pokemon Battle with low level Pokemon. "The main event of the festival, of course, is the Full Force Battles!"

"What are those?" I questioned.

"You don't know? Well, I suppose you wouldn't." Kukui rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "So, in Alola, people like to go all out in Pokemon Battles. Every year, we hold a tournament during the festival where several of our youngest and upcoming trainers battle each other with all of their might. It's quite a sight to see."

"A-are you going to battle?" I asked Lillie.

"No way. I don't even have a Pokemon." Lillie shook her head. "Besides, I just couldn't stand to watch Pokemon get hurt."

"Where is Hala?" Kukui questioned as he glanced around. "I thought for sure he'd be here..." He rubbed his chin. "I'm going to look around. You two stay here. If Hala shows up, let him know I'm looking for him, okay?"

"Okay." Lillie nodded then sat down on the stage.

I slowly walked over and sat down next to her. My hands sat in my lap as I looked down. Suddenly, my mind went blank. I couldn't think of anything to say. We sat their awkwardly silent, I don't even know for how long. I looked away and was about to get up and walk off when Lillie suddenly spoke up. "I've been meaning to ask since yesterday..." I turned to look at her, confused. "Why do you..." Lillie began to fidget with her hands. "Y-you know..."

"I... don't know what you're trying to ask..."

Lillie's face turned red. "Clothes... yours... y-you know..." She turned away from me and began to fidget with her hair now. She sighed, I assumed to try to calm herself. "Why don't you... like them?"

I turned red now that I understood. "I-I just... don't... They're uncomfortable." I tugged on my shirt. "I only really wear baggy clothes because I don't like how clothes feel rubbing against my body. It just... bothers me..."

"But... you get embarrassed about people seeing you without clothes on?"

"W-well... I mean... just because I like being naked... doesn't mean I want everyone to see, you know?" I covered my chest despite that it was covered by my shirt.

Lillie slid next to me which made me turn a bit more red. She placed her hand on mine and looked at me. "Even so... no one's going to complain unless you're out somewhere like Hau'oli City. While I can't think of anyone who walks around naked, there's a lot of people here who walk around in bathing suits all day."

I was about to respond when Lillie's bag moved. I don't mean it shifted, I mean it physically moved across the stage on its own. "L-Lillie!" I shouted.

"Hey, get back here!" Lillie reached out and grabbed the bag only for a strange creature to pop out of it. I only caught a glimpse of it as it rushed off to the north. "Nebby!"

"What was that?" I jumped to my feet.

"No time, help me catch Nebby." Lillie scrambled to her feet and chased after the weird little creature. Unsure of what else to do, and maybe out of curiosity, I rushed off to help her.

We chased the creature down a long winding pathway until we got to the edge of a cliff. There was a rickety wooden bridge that spanned a gap between the cliffside we were on and another in front of us. "Nebby, come back!" Lillie shouted.

Now that I could get a good glimpse of the creature we were chasing, I noticed it was very small, like ridiculously small. It couldn't have been more than a couple centimeters in size. The creature looked almost like a gaseous cloud, except that its body was completely solid. Parts of it were light blue that then changed to dark blue and then into violet. It even sparkled and shined almost like stars.

"What is that thing?" I asked as I saw it begin to cross the bridge.

"Please, you have to help Nebby," Lillie spoke as she grabbed my hand. I turned beat red. "I... I'm too scared..."

I nodded. The bridge looked very old and had several broken boards. Too much weight, and the whole bridge would probably shatter apart. The weird little creature seemed to weigh nothing, though. I slowly stepped over to the bridge and placed my foot upon it. The whole bridge creaked loudly. With another step, my other foot, and all of my weight along with it, was now on the bridge. I felt it creak again and I bit my lip.

"C-come here, little guy," I called out to the strange creature. "I'm not going to hurt you." I took another step and I felt the bridge sway and creak. I nearly had a heart attack. A couple more steps, the creature seemed to have stopped in the middle of the bridge and was happily bouncing. "That's it, just stay right there."

The bridge creaked again and I held firm onto the sides. I hoped that if the floor gave out, I might still be able to keep myself from falling into the river that was several meters below me by gripping the sides. "Nice and-" I heard a loud SQUAWK and as I looked up, I saw three spearow suddenly fly out from the forest in front of us. One of them slammed into me, knocking me back as the other two began to circle around the creature.

They squawked and squeaked and the creature began to glance left and right quickly. It was panicking, and I had to help it, but I was beginning to panic myself. The spearow that had knocked me back attempted to dive bomb me and I quickly ducked. The bridge creaked loudly at my sudden movements and I felt a board under my foot break.

I gathered up every ounce of courage I had and leapt forward, using my body as a shield to block the spearow that were circling the creature. "I-it's okay, I'll get us out of here."

Suddenly, the creature let out a loud screech as a strange bubble of light began to swirl around us. The bubble of light cut through the bridge and it was as if everything began to slow. We began to fall and I grabbed the creature tight, pulling it against my chest. I then turned so my back was to the water. I hoped that I could reduce some of the impact for the creature with my own body, even though I knew I was going to likely die upon hitting the surface of the water.

My laugh flashed before my eyes and I smiled. This was it, I was going to die. I hoped that my mom wouldn't mourn too hard.

Suddenly, I felt something grab onto me and slow my descent. As I looked up, I saw a strange sort of creature holding onto me. It's body was black, but it had several markings on its body that I could only call tribal markings. I couldn't see it very well, though, as the creature was speeding us through the air. It brought us around and set us on the ground next to Lillie.

Immediately, I reached into my skirt and pulled out my emergency inhaler. I took a puff of it to try and help myself breathe. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Lillie asked as she crouched down to my level and placed her hand on my back.

"Y-yeah, I am now." I smiled but in my mind I was still freaking out. I looked up at the creature that had saved my life.

"Tapu Koko," Lillie spoke as she looked at the creature. Now that I could see it better, I noticed the creature had two large yellow objects on its shoulders that were covered in a number of markings. The creature crowed, then pulled the objects together around its body. It reminded me of a face on a totem pole.

"Th-that's... Tapu Koko?" I asked.

"The guardian diety of Melemele Island." Lillie stood to her feet then gave a bow. "Thank you for saving my friend and Nebby, Tapu Koko."

"Y-yeah, thank you." I gave as much of a bow as I could while still on the ground.

"TAPU!" the Pokemon called out, then it zapped away like a bolt of lightning. As it did, it shot through the spearow, causing them to screech and fly away.

"That was amazing." I smiled, then began to hack. I took another hit of my inhaler.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lillie asked as she bent down next to me. I nodded. She then turned to the creature I had rescued. "Bad, Nebby! You know not to wander off!" She picked up the creature by one of its... hands? "Honestly, what am I going to do with you? You know you have to stay hidden!"

"What... is that?" I asked.

"Nebby... he's a Cosmog." Lillie put the creature back into her bag and zipped it partway. "He's a very special Pokemon. I've been caring for him but... I can't let anyone know... Professor Kukui and Burnet are the only people that know." She turned to me and grabbed my hand. "Please don't tell anyone."

I didn't know what was so special about this creature, but it was clear something was. I nodded. "I won't." I smiled.

"Thank you." Lillie helped me to my feet. "What's this?" Lillie picked up a strange sparkling stone off the ground that had been sitting next to me.

"I've never seen it before."

"Tapu Koko must have given this to you." Lillie handed me the stone. "It's probably important, so you should take it."

"Alright." I smiled and took the stone.

"And, Mizuki... thank you for saving Nebby."

"Hey, for a cute girl like you, I couldn't refuse." It wasn't until after I said those words that I realized what I said. My face burned red and I quickly began to wave my arms around frantically. "I-I mean... th-that is..."

Lillie giggled. "Come on, let's head back. Professor Kukui is probably worried about us."

I nodded silently and we returned to Iki Town.

\-----

"Ah, there you two are," Kukui spoke up as we came off the path into Iki Town. "I thought you were going to stay here?"

"We did at first, Professor," Lillie spoke up. "But then... you-know-who decided to wander off to the Ruins of Conflict. We had to go catch him."

"Oh my, hopefully that wasn't too much trouble?"

Lillie told Kukui the whole story.

"Ah, so Tapu Koko saved you. Good thing he did. I'd hate to think of what I'd have to tell your mother..." Kukui sighed. I didn't respond. "Well, anyway, let me introduce you to Kahuna Hala."

A large man, and I don't mean that height-wise, stepped up to us. His hair was gray and tied up into a small ponytail. He wore a tropical button-up shirt over a light blue shirt. Around his waist was a white rope and his pants were white as well. He had a pair of sandals on his feet and a moustache on his face. "I am Kahuna Hala," the man spoke with a big grin. "Happy to meet you."

"H-hello," I squeaked out quietly as I hid behind Lillie.

"Ah... got a shy one on our hands. Well, Kukui says you wanted a starter Pokemon, yes?"

I nodded silently.

"Come on out!" Hala shouted as he tossed three pokeballs into the air. Out of the first pokeball came a little brown bird creature that was egg-shaped. It had two giant eyes along with, what looked like, a green bow tie. Out of the second ball came a black cat-like creature. It legs with red strips and paws along with a small bit of red on its face. It also had red whiskers. The third one was a seal like blue creature with a big red nose. "Let me introduce Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio."

"They're so cute!" I shouted as I rushed over to them. I pet the bird-like Rowlet on the head and cooed happily. I turned and reached for the cat-like Litten, but it growled, hissed, and tried to swipe at me. I then turned to seal-like Popplio and it happily chirped and let me scratch its head.

"You can have any one you want, if that one chooses you as well."

"What do you mean?" I asked as I looked back at Hala.

"I always say, 'It's not the trainer that picks their Pokemon, it's the Pokemon that picks their trainer.' If the one you want also wants you, then you can have it."

Litten turned its head and looked away. I immediately guessed it wasn't interested in having me as a trainer. Well, I guess it was a choice between Popplio and Rowlet, then. Both seemed happy to be around me, and I liked them both. It was hard to choose. That's when Popplio slid over and laid down on my lap.

"I guess I'll take this one," I spoke with a smile. Yeah, out of the three, it seemed Popplio wanted to be with me the most, so I'd accept it.

"Very well then. Here is Popplio's pokeball." Hala handed me the red and white ball and I quickly attached it to the belt on my skirt. I stood to my feet and Popplio jumped up onto my shoulder. "You two look great together. Would you like to give her a name?"

"Shiru," I spoke with a smile.

"Tomorrow is when the island festival is going to occur," Hala spoke. "If you wish to go on a journey, the winner of the Full-Force Tournament will win this." Hala pulled out a small amulet that had four triangles on it. Each was a different color, from left to right they were were yellow, red, pink, and blue. "It's an island challenge amulet. With it, you can journey around the four islands and challenge the seven Island Trials. Complete all of an islands trials and you can battle against the Kahuna for your Grand Trial."

"The Pokemon League I am opening up will be based off of that," Kukui spoke up. "If you can beat all four Grand Trials, you will be allowed to compete in the League."

"Then I have to win that tournament." I turned to Popplio. "Do you want to help me win?"

"Bwar!" Popplio shouted happily.

"Alright, then we'll compete in the tournament tomorrow!" I jumped and the sparkling stone fell out of my skirt pocket.

"Is that...?" Kukui gasped.

"It is!" Hala quickly snatched up the stone. "Young lady, where did you get this?"

Lillie quickly explained about the encounter with Tapu Koko.

"This sparkling stone... it is the main component of making a Z-ring... If Tapu Koko gave you this... he must think you're important. If I may, can I have this for a day? I shall rework it into a Z-ring for you."

"A... Z-ring?" I tilted my head.

Kukui chuckled. "It's a special item that allows you to bring out a Pokemon's full strength!"

"That sounds great! You can do that, then?"

Hala nodded. "No problem. I'll give it back to you before tomorrow's tournament."

"Thank you, Kahuna Hala." I smiled. Things were looking up. Sure, I had almost died, but because of that, I had met a Legendary Pokemon and was now going to get something even greater. I had no idea what things were in store for me in the future, but I hoped they would be fun and exciting.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun arose again the next day. As I sat up in bed, I stretched and yawned. Today would be the day of the festival, meaning it'd also be the day of the tournament. I wondered what kinds of battles I'd end up in during the tournament and how strong the other trainers would be.

As I got out of bed, I heard a knock on the bedroom door. Mom didn't usually knock, so I wondered who was knocking. I walked to the door and opened it a crack and looked out. "Lillie?" I asked as I pulled the door open enough to let her see my face. I wasn't going to open the door further, though. I was naked, after all.

"Professor Kukui wanted me to make sure you were coming to the festival," Lillie responded.

"I-I was planning to. Is that soon?"

"Not for a few hours. It starts at 3 this afternoon."

"Why are you here so early then?"

Lillie looked away. "Professor Kukui said he didn't need me to help today so... I just thought... maybe I'd just hang out with you..."

"I-if you want. Let me just get dressed."

"You don't have to." Lillie turned back towards me and I could see her face was a little red.

"I don't want you to be uncomfortable with me being naked..."

"I won't be." Lillie attempted to smile. "It's your house, you should be comfortable. Besides, you'll have to get dressed later. I'd rather you were comfortable for as long as you can be." Nebby suddenly leapt out of Lillie's bag and rushed into my room. "N-Nebby!" Lillie nearly knocked me over as she pushed the door open and ran through it. She grabbed Nebby and picked it up. "You need to stop running-" Her sentence stopped suddenly when she turned around and saw me. Her face turned beat red. She quickly turned around. I swear I could see steam coming out her ears from embarrassment.

"You alright?" I asked.

"F-fine." Lillie pushed Nebby back into the bag.

"I think I should put something on." I turned to walk towards my dresser.

"N-no!" Lillie turned back around and I froze. "I-I mean..." She looked away a little. "Y-you're so comfortable with being naked... I-I really don't... want you to have to..."

I blushed as I looked away from her. "That's kind of you... but to be honest... being naked in front of someone... is kind of embarrassing..."

Lillie's face changed to have a look of determination on it. "Th-then... I-I'll do it, too."

"Eh?!" I shouted.

"It'll be less embarrassing, right?" Lillie grabbed the bottom of her dress.

I quickly grabbed her arms. "Y-you don't have to."

We stared at each other for a long moment. Lillie was such a beautiful girl, I just couldn't imagine why she didn't think so of herself. I wanted to just pull her close, to kiss her soft, gentle lips.

I quickly pulled away from her and turned around, my face was burning hot. Suddenly, I felt Lillie's arms wrap around my waist and she pulled me close to her. "L-Lillie?"

"I... I just... want a hug..."

I slowly turned myself around and wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. Lillie was shorter than me, and so I took her head and let her rest it on my shoulder. I was surprised when, after a short moment, she began to shake and sniffle. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"I... I miss hugging..."

I didn't quite understand, but I just continued to hold onto her. She began to cry and I just held her tighter. I thought back on what Professor Kukui had said about finding Lillie naked on the beach and I began to wonder... what happened to her? What had caused her to become like this? I swore I'd find out, but I wasn't going to pressure Lillie to tell me.

\-----

Mom and Lillie giggled as they looked over pictures of me when I was young. Like any teen, I had protested, but Lillie had insisted on seeing them. "So, you couldn't keep clothes on her even when she was a kid?" Lillie asked.

"Not at all," Mom responded. "As a baby, she'd cry if I dressed her up. As a kid, she'd take her clothes off after a few minutes of wearing them." Mom flipped through a couple pages. "When she turned about thirteen, she started being adamant about not wearing clothes at home."

"So, you just kind of gave up, then?"

Mom shrugged. "Kind of. I mean, I didn't say no at first cause she was a kid, you know? It was cute. But once she got older and started developing, I tried to be strict."

"I refused," I responded. "Sure, I'd put on clothes when my friends were around. I was too shy to walk around naked in front of them... But if it was just me and my parents, I just didn't want to. Clothes are... uncomfortable..."

"I remember you saying that," Lillie responded with a nod. "That's why I told you, you don't have to get dressed."

I wasn't exactly dressed, but I wasn't naked. I was dressed in a black skirt, but I didn't have a shirt on. When I had tried to dress, Lillie insisted that if I was getting dressed, I should still be comfortable. So, I told her I'd just put on a skirt to hide my girly bits. To be honest, I wasn't that uncomfortable with people seeing my chest, so it was a decent compromise.

"I know."

Lillie turned back to my mom. "Well, Mizuki was definitely a cute kid. If I can ask, though... what happened to Mizuki's father?"

Mom went silent for a moment before speaking. "We divorced. It's not that there was anything wrong with him. We just... stopped being in love... I don't know how else to describe it."

"So... Mizuki still has her father..." Lillie sighed.

"Is something wrong dear?"

"Ah!" Lillie quickly put up her arms and began waving them frantically. "N-no, nothing's wrong. I just... I guess I'm just jealous... Mizuki has a mom like you who loves her so much, and she still has a father in another region that loves her, too."

"If you ever need someone to talk to about your parents, we'll listen," I responded with a smile. I wrapped an arm around Lillie and pulled her close. "But don't feel like you have to."

Lillie nodded. "Okay."

In the end, she didn't tell us anything about her parents. I could tell it was a troubling topic for her, though, so I didn't push. I wondered if it might have to do with why she didn't feel loved or believe she was beautiful. Had she been abused? I couldn't even imagine what something like that would be like. I'd just have to wait, I suppose.

\-----

Lillie and I left the house that afternoon. I had pulled on a simple white tank top and grabbed my bag off my coat rack in my room. As we arrived in Iki Town, I held Shiru's ball in my hand. "I wonder what the tournament is going to be like," I spoke up.

"Oh, you'll love it," Lillie responded. "It'll give you a real feel for how we in Alola do Pokemon Battles."

"Alola!" Kukui shouted as Lillie and I got into the town.

"A-alola," I responded. I still wasn't used to that.

"So, you're here after all." Kukui walked up to us with a big grin on his face. "I told Burnet you'd be here, but she was skeptical."

"W-well, I can understand why." I looked away.

"Well, welcome to our festival. This festival is held across all of Alola at this time of year. It's to honor the four guardian dieties that watch over our four islands."

"Guardian dieties... you mean like Tapu Koko?"

Kukui nodded. "Yeap. Tapu Koko is the guardian of Melemele Island. Beyond that is Tapu Lele if Akala Island, Tapu Bulu of Ula'ula Island, and Tapu Fini of Poni Island. Here on Melemele, we honor Tapu Koko with the Full-Force Tournament because of how much Tapu Koko loves to battle." Kukui began to walk away. "Follow me."

Lillie and I followed close behind until he lead us to a small tent. "You can prepare for the tournament here. You'll be contestant number 4."

"How many people are in the tournament?" I asked.

"Just four. There's not a lot of us here on Melemele, so the tournament isn't usually very big." Kukui pulled out a sheet of paper. "Let's see, your first opponent is going to be... Rapp. Never heard that name before, actually."

"D-do I have to fight everyone? Or is this an elimination style tournament?"

"Elimination style. But remember, everyone's going to be going all out, so don't hold back in battle." Kukui pulled out a small white bracelet. "Oh, Kahuna Hala wanted me to give you this. It's a Z-ring he made from that stone Tapu Koko gave you."

"Z-ring?" I took the bracelet and looked at it. It had a fancy Z shape on the top of it but was otherwise white. I slipped it onto my wrist.

"Z-rings let you unleash powerful Z-moves!" Kukui rose one of his arms and I now noticed the same bracelet on his arm. "But, you can't use them without Z-crystals." Kukui handed me a small blue crystal. "This is Waterium-Z. You and Shiru should be able to use it."

"How do I do that?" I took hold of the crystal.

Kukui grinned as he held his arms up to form an X shape. He brought his hands to the left side and moved them up and down like a wave. He then brought his hands around and waved his arms up so that his hands pointed upward to his right side. "Like that!"

My face went hot. "I-I have to do something like that?"

"Yeah, each Z-move has its own little movements."

I looked down. "P-people are going to make fun of me, though."

"Nonsense, everyone does these kinds of things." There was a pause. "Well..." Kukui rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Okay... only trainers do it... and even then it's very few of them... You can only get a Z-ring from a Kahuna so... not many people have them..."

I curled up against the edge of the tent. "People are definitely going to make fun of me... I'll probably goof it up and look like a complete loser."

"H-hey now... that won't happen..." Kukui said those words, but I could tell there was no confidence in his voice.

I waved my arms around in a similar fashion to Kukui. "This feels ridiculous, though... and what if it doesn't work? I'll be laughed at... and then Shiru will probably get beat up because I'll be too embarrassed to continue fighting..." I buried my face in my hands. Just thinking about it embarrassed me.

Lillie took my hands and I looked up at her. She smiled. "If you don't feel confident about doing it, then don't. I doubt anyone else will have a Z-ring anyway. Just battle how you want to, okay?"

I nodded slowly. "Alright..." She was so close to me. I wanted to just reach out and put my arms around her neck. I wanted to pull her close and kiss her. I don't know if Lillie sensed how I felt or if she felt similar, but she suddenly moved close to me and put her arms around me, pulling me into an embrace. My face got even hotter as I put my arms around her and hugged her in return. "Wh-why the sudden hug?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"You just seemed like you needed one." Lillie pulled away only a little and we stared into each other's eyes. My heart was pounding so heavily I was certain Lillie could hear it. I slowly moved closer without thinking. I just wanted to kiss her. It was as if my ears were suddenly deafened to everything except the beating of my own heart. It pounded so loudly, so heavily, how couldn't Lillie hear it? Was her heart pounding just as strong?

Lillie suddenly pulled away from me and I noticed her face was beat red. "G-good luck, Mizuki," she spoke then gave a bow. She went to turn away.

"W-wait, Lillie!" I called out and she stopped. I stood to my feet and stepped up behind her. I put my arms around her waist and pulled her close. "If you ever want a hug... o-or anything... just ask... o-okay?"

Lillie leaned into me. "I like hugs." I'm not sure how long the two of us stood like that. It felt like ages. I could hear my heart pounding a mile a minute as I held her. I slowly moved my head close to hers and gently kissed her on the cheek without thinking. Still, she didn't pull away. I could see her face turned a deep crimson.

"Lillie... I..." I started to say, but I couldn't say the rest. Could I even say I liked her? We barely even knew each other, yet I felt this close to her. I wanted nothing more than to cuddle with her, to kiss her, to do anything she would let me do. "You're so beautiful..." Those words were the only words that came out, but not for what felt like a long time.

I felt Lillie tense up. Her body began to shake. "I... I'm not..." Her head moved down. "I'm not beautiful."

"Yes, you are."

Lillie turned to me and I could see tears in her eyes. "I'm not!" she shouted. "I'm not beautiful at all! I'm a bad girl! Bad girls like me aren't beautiful! Bad girls are ugly things!" Lillie suddenly pulled away from me and rushed off.

Why did Lillie think she wasn't beautiful? Why did she think she was a bad girl? I pondered these thoughts. Her parents had to be abusive, that's all I could guess. I wanted to follow after her, but what good would it have done? I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to act.

\-----

I didn't see Lillie again until the tournament. As I stepped up to the arena, I looked ahead at my opponent. The girl in front of me had a tight black tank top, and I wondered if it was just very tight or if she was well endowed. Upon the tank top were two white lines that crossed at her stomach. A heavy silver chain was around her neck with a large skull-like pendant at the end. She wore a white hat that had two dark shapes on the front. She also wore a black bandanna around her face that covered her nose and mouth.

The girl had shoulder-length pink hair that had curled a bit on the edges. She also wore a pair of extremely short white shorts. White shoes with black socks and a black band around her thigh finished up her ensemble.

"Yo, yo, what's this?" the girl asked as she put her hands on her hips and looked me over. "Come on, man, I thought I was supposed ta be fightin' in a Full-Force Tournament. Why are they sendin' some little girl out to face me, huh? Yo, that's straight up wack!" She took her right hand and waved it downwards when she said those last words.

I stared at the girl in confusion. What the heck kind of speech was that? "W-well, I am a new trainer, but I did register for the tournament. I'm Mizuki, contestant 4."

"Yo, this sucks, dawg." The girl turned and folded her arms under her chest. "Like, seriously, I'm too good of a trainer ta be fightin' some little girl."

I pulled out Shiru's pokeball. "How about proving that."

"Yo, yo, what?" The girl looked at me in shock. "You really wanna fight me? I'm Rapp!"

"And?"

"I'm one of the big girls of Team Skull, yo!" Rapp brought her hands around in front of her. "This shiz ain't gonna fly. If you fight me, you're gonna get nailed, girl!"

I growled. What the hell kind of speech pattern was this? It was annoying as fuck. "Just fucking fight me!" I tossed out the pokeball, releasing Shiru.

"If that's what you want, yo, but I'm no push over!" Rapp pulled one arm back and put it on her hip, then thrust the other hand out at me. "You're gonna get creamed, girl!" She brought her other hand around and tossed a pokeball. Out of the pokeball came a zubat.

"Zubat, huh? Could be a little tricky." I made a fist with my hand. "Shiru, use Water Gun!"

Shiru unleashed a blast of water from her mouth. The zubat flailed as it was hit.

"Yo, that's uncool, I wasn't ready!" Rapp shouted. "Zubat, use Absorb!"

The zubat rushed at Shiru and its fangs bit her for a moment. Shiru winced as some of her energy was drained.

"Pound it while it's right there!" I shouted.

Shiru whirled around and slapped the zubat hard with its tail. It fluttered away before collapsing to the ground.

"Yo, what?!" Rapp shouted. "That popplio is crazy strong!" Rapp held out her pokeball and returned the zubat to it. She growled as she looked at me. "You think you've beaten the great Team Skull?!"

"I... no?" I stared in confusion. "Wait, is that the only Pokemon you had?"

"I haven't needed no other Pokemon! My zubat has been strong enough to handle anything that came our way." Rapp turned around and stuck her butt out at me. "I'll get payback on you one day! You haven't seen the last of Team Skull!" With those words, she rushed off.

It seemed like most people were dumbstruck by the spectacle as there was a long, drawn out moment of silence. Finally, Hala announced my victory in the match.

As I stepped down from the arena, Lillie stepped over and smiled at me. "You did great."

"Are you okay?" I asked, completely ignoring what she had said.

"I..." Lillie looked away. "Yeah, I'm okay."

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close. "I'm glad." Lillie put her hands around my back and we cuddled for a moment.

When we finally pulled apart, I took her hand. We made our way back to the tent so I could prepare for the next fight. For now, I would avoid saying anything about how I felt about her, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it hidden for long. We conversed happily until the time for my next fight would come. Little did I know, my opponent was going to be someone special.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, after several months, I bring you the fourth chapter. I hope you like it.

Chapter 4

I stepped up to the arena again. I was about to fight in the final match of the tournament. The boy that now stood in front of me was no older than me, but he was taller. He had dark hair that was tied into a small man bun on the back of his head. He had dark skin and wore a black shirt and dark yellow pants with orange flowers on them.

"So, you're my opponent?" I asked as I pulled out Shiru's ball.

The boy smiled at me. "My name's Hau. I'm the grandson of Kahuna Hala."

"Eh?! Really?!" I looked him over. Now that he mentioned it, he had a similar outfit and hairstyle to Hala. If I imagined him a bit heavier, with gray hair, and a moustache like Hala, I could see the resemblance.

Hau pulled out a pokeball and tossed it forward, releasing a small cat-like pokemon. It was a litten, like I had seen the other day.

I tossed out Shiru's ball, releasing him to fight.

"Shiru, use Water Gun!" I shouted. Shiru unleashed a blast of water from its mouth, but the litten dodged it with ease. Shiru shot another blast of water at the litten, but it again dodged without a care. The thing was fast, I'd have to be careful. Having the type advantage would help, but it didn't guarantee a victory.

"Litten, Growl!" Hau shouted. The litten let out an almost cute growl, but I noticed it made Shiru flinch. "Scratch!" Litten rushed forward, bringing its claws across Shiru's face.

"Shiru, are you okay?" I called out.

"Bwar!" Shiru called out with a nod.

"Alright, try Water Gun again!"

Shiru shot another blast of water from its mouth, but litten quickly dodged out of the way. Attacking from a distance just wasn't an option, it was going to be able to move before my attacks could hit.

"Shiru, hold your spot."

"Giving up already?" Hau questioned with a smirk. "Litten, scratch it!"

Litten rushed towards Shiru, it's claws poised and ready to strike.

"Pound its face in!" I shouted.

Shiru quickly ducked under litten's claws, then brought its tail around, slamming it into litten's face. The impact sent litten flying to the other side of the arena.

"Whoa, smart move!" Hau spoke, awe struck.

"While it's disoriented, hit it with Water Gun!"

Shiru shot another blast of water at the litten before it could get back to its feet. It gave a loud shriek as it tumbled across the arena again, now doused in water.

"Litten!" Hau shouted. "Quick, give it another scratch!"

Litten growled and meowed loudly at Hau. It sat itself down and began to groom itself.

"L-litten?" Hau asked in surprise.

"Seems its concerned more for its looks than continuing to fight," I responded.

"Come on, litten! We're still in the middle of a match here."

The litten didn't pay any head to its trainer. It continued to groom itself.

"Seems litten no longer wishes to battle," Hala responded. "Mizuki is the winner."

"Oh, come on!" Hau shouted, but not in anger. His voice sounded sad. Hau returned litten to its ball, causing the litten to meow loudly in shock as it was absorbed back in.

Hala stepped up to me, grabbed my wrist, and raised my arm. "Mizuki is the winner of the Full-Force Tournament!"

I really didn't feel like I had won anything. Rapp had been an almost pathetic opponent, and Hau's litten had given up the first time it got hit.

"As a reward for winning the tournament, I present you with this island challenge amulet." Hala handed me the amulet he had shown me the other day.

"U-umm... thanks, Hala." I smiled nervously as I took it.

"So, you're now eligible for the Island Trials," Kukui spoke as he stepped up to me. "There's one trial right here on this island, actually."

"Th-thanks, Hala, but... I don't know if I really want to-"

"Nonsense!" Hala smiled and slapped me on the back, knocking the wind right out of me. I fell over and began to cough. "Every kid here in Alola wants to do the trials in a hope of becoming a Pokemon Master!"

I grabbed my inhaler from a pocket in my skirt and quickly used it. Breathing again, I stood to my feet and put my inhaler away. "B-but..."

"Oh, I'm so proud of you!" my Mom shouted as she rushed over to my side and hugged me. "You'll get to be a Pokemon trainer just like your father."

"I-I know, but, I don't-" I was interrupted yet again.

"You did really well out there." It was Lillie this time and she was smiling at me.

"Hey! Here's an idea!" Kukui shouted with a grin. "Why don't you accompany her, Lillie?"

"E-eh?!" Lillie shouted as her face turned red. "B-but, what about your research?"

"I got along just fine before you came, and besides, Mizuki doesn't know the islands. She'll need someone to accompany her and lead her around. You've lived here all your life, and you two get along really well, so why not?"

"But I don't-" I tried again, but Lillie shouted and interrupted me.

"But I haven't repaid my debt for you and Burnet helping me. I can't just leave!"

"Think of it this way, you'll be helping with my research by going out and exploring Alola with Mizuki. You can even send me reports every day if you want to show me your progress."

"I don't want to go on a pokemon journey!" I shouted. I had had enough of being talked over.

Silence. Everyone stared at me with wide eyes. I could feel it, everyone was staring, judging. Everyone wanted to be a pokemon trainer, so of course, I would, too, right? But that wasn't the truth. I didn't mind having pokemon, but I didn't want to be a trainer, I didn't want to go on a journey.

I turned and quickly rushed off down the path.

\-----

I was crying. I had found a secluded corner down the path, pulled myself into a ball, lied down, and began to cry. Why had I said that? I had always wanted to go on a journey in Kanto. I had even been given a pokemon by Kahuna Hala himself. So, why now did I suddenly not want to go on one?

"Mizuki?" I heard Lillie's voice. I looked up as I saw her walking towards me. She was moving slowly, stopping every couple steps.

"What do you want?" I looked away as I rubbed my eyes and cheeks, trying to wipe away the tears.

"I wanted to check on you." Lillie approached closer as I watched her out of the corner of my eye. "Are you okay?"

"I made a fool of myself. Of course I'm not okay."

Lillie was close now. Close enough that she could kneel down and put a hand on me. "I'm sorry that happened to you. If it matters, though, none of us think any less of you. Kukui is a little confused, though..."

"Because he knew I wanted to go on a journey in Kanto?" I asked as I looked up at Lillie.

Lillie nodded. "But, if you don't want to go, no one is going to be upset with you or hold any sort of grudge."

I sat up. My clothes were dirty now from lying on the ground. "Why wouldn't they be? Everyone wants to go on a journey. Even I wanted to go on a journey."

Lillie moved to sit down and I quickly tried to stop her.

"If you sit there, you'll get dirty like me."

Lillie shook her head with a smile. "It's fine. A little dirt never hurt anyone."

"But that's the only clothes you have..."

Lillie sat down right next to me and put her hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I mean, if I did leave the Professor's, I'd still just have these clothes. Only difference is, I wouldn't have a place to go get them washed where I could hide away."

I looked down. "Would you want to? Leave the Professor's, I mean."

Lillie sighed and I saw her glance up. "Honestly? I've always felt like I was just a burden to them... I know, I protested leaving to go on a journey with you because I do feel as though I owe them a debt for helping me... But I also feel as though I'm only going to keep building that debt by staying there. I know that if I ever do want to repay them, I will have to leave."

"Kukui did say that you sometimes wish you could leave so you can stop being a burden."

Lillie nodded gently. "It's true. They mean a lot to me, even though I've only known them for a month. They're more of a family than I have had these last few years."

"Why? What happened with your family?"

Lillie looked at me for a long moment, then turned back to look at the sky. "My father vanished a few years ago... He was working in one of the labs... There was an accident..."

"Your dad worked in a lab?" I tilted my head.

"You don't know? My parents are the founders of the Aether Foundation."

"That's amazing! They do a lot of work here in Alola to help sick and abandoned pokemon, right?"

Lillie nodded slowly. "That was the idea, yeah." She looked at me, then waved her arms nervously. "Don't get me wrong, they still do that. Aether is a wonderful thing for these islands. It's just..." Lillie stopped and looked down. "Since the lab accident, my mother has never been the same..."

"I'm sorry." I reached out and put my arms around Lillie. Almost as if responding to it, she lifted herself up and sat on my lap, then leaned against me as I held her in a tight embrace. "Is that why you miss hugs?"

"Yeah."

The two of us remained in that embrace for a long moment. We both sat in silence until we heard a strange crowing noise. "What was that?"

"Tapu Koko," Lillie responded. "He's calling for you."

"Calling for me? How do you know?"

Lillie lifted my arm that had the Z-ring on it and pointed at it. "He gave you that. Not just anyone gets a Z-ring. Most are passed down by the Kahunas, and usually only after you complete the Island Challange. For you to have been given one by Tapu Koko himself..."

I looked down at the Z-ring. "He also wants me to go on a journey..."

"Tapu Koko is never wrong about a person's potential, you know? If he gave you that ring, it means you have the potential to become someone great. And... you did want to go on a journey in Kanto... What's holding you back here?"

"I... I don't know..." I lowered my arm. "I just don't know anything about this place, about these islands, about this land, about how the League is going to work."

Lillie giggled. "No one knows how Kukui's League is going to work. It's not even built yet."

"Do you really think... I could be good?"

Lillie grabbed my hands and held them up with a smile. "You'll be amazing."

I stared into Lillie's eyes for a long moment. There was no deception, no distrust, in her eyes. She really did believe what she said. I let go of her hands and put my arms around her neck. I felt Lillie's hands move down around my waist. "Will you come with me?"

Lillie turned red. "You really want me to?"

"More than anything."

Lillie was moving closer as her arms tightened their grip around my waist. My arms pulled her closer until our faces were nearly touching. I wanted to just move a little closer, to kiss her, to love her. I wanted to be there for her.

"I will then," Lille responded.

"Lillie... I..." I wanted to say it. I wanted to say I liked her.

"What is it?"

"Have you ever... kissed anyone before?" Even I was surprised when those words came out of my mouth.

Lillie's face turned a deep crimson. "Once... a boy I thought I liked... But I didn't..."

"Why not?"

"I don't like boys."

I felt my face burn now. "Wh-what do you mean?"

Lillie didn't answer with words. Instead, she responded with action. Her lips gently touched mine. I couldn't resist. I let myself slip into the kiss as well.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, but when we did finally pull apart, we were both flustered. "S-sorry," Lillie spoke nervously.

"Don't be sorry. I like girls, too." I put a hand on Lillie's bare arm. "And... I like you..."

"I like you, too, Mizuki." We kissed again.

I suppose that made it official. We liked each other. We hadn't officially called each other girlfriends, but we had kissed and professed our feelings for each other. We also agreed, together we'd go and take on the Island Challange. I'd get the pokemon journey I wanted back in Kanto, and Lillie would be able to get away from the Professor's place and out on her own.

I didn't know what would come in the future, but I knew that Lillie and I would challenge it together. Our first stop would be Hau'oli City again.


End file.
